Qui a peur de la théorie queer ?

In the wake of the legalisation of gay marriage in France, reactionary conservative movements orchestrated a vast campaign against "gender theory", seen as a direct American import.

Bruno Perreau demonstrates that, in reality, this campaign targeted queer theory, precisely because the latter is largely inspired by French thinkers such as Foucault, Beauvoir and Derrida. He advocates an investigation into the links between identity, community, and nation in France. If queer theory is so problematic here, it is because it supports the idea that feelings of belonging do not stem from a core of shared values, but rather from the ability to challenge the assumptions of this core.

This book presents the many faces of the French responses to queer theory, from the conservative “Manif pour Tous” to LGBT activism, but also research seminars, new medias, translation policies, as well as debates around nationalism and intersectionality.

Opposed to the idea of the “tyranny of minorities”, Perreau proposes a critical theory of representation that is both more attentive and more hospitable.